Chicken Soup for the Soul is always looking for stories — Do you want to earn $200 for writing an essay? Then Chicken Soup for the Soul may be the place for you. Chicken Soup for the Soul is always searching for authentic, personal stories that are no longer than 1200 words. If you are typically writing stories less than 6…

Because marriage isn’t for everyone. — Some people are not wired for marriage. They’d be a lot happier single. Yet they don’t listen. They get married and then spend years living in misery. Because not everyone is meant to get married. According to “Changing Attitudes Towards Marriage and Single Life,” by A. Thornton and D. Freedman…

Writer, Songwriter, Producer, and Mom — My name is L.A. Strucke, and not just because I love L.A. They’re my initials. Early Life My life began 2 months before my mother’s due date. I had a 50–50 chance to live. My first home was an incubator. My childhood home was in New Jersey on a cul de sac…

Yes, you can live your best life — Have you been chanting all the positive thinking affirmations yet are still living in misery? Are you ready to throw all the positive books out the window? You’re not alone. Many of us have tried. We’ve read books on the law of attraction, watched Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield videos…

Or is that a myth — Susan used to be a happy person. But now she’s in her late seventies and she’s miserable. Some may dismiss her as merely a grumpy, old person. They’d assume she is cranky because she is old. Yet studies show that older people are no grumpier than younger people, which blows…

Lonely pandemic weekends learning to record music — In February 2020, I flew to Los Angeles for my middle daughter’s baby shower. While waiting for my youngest to pick me up from the airport, I noticed a family standing by the baggage claim area wearing masks. “How silly,” I thought, “they must be germaphobes.” In my ignorance, I…

And they run out of options. — Were you involved with a narcissist? Did their actions hurt you so badly you thought you’d never love again? You are not alone. Your narcissist was charming in their youth. It was so easy for them to manipulate you and everyone around you to do whatever they wanted. The narcissist…

What I’ve learned — I have screwed up, in many ways, my entire life. Due to some childhood trauma, I made some awful decisions. I know better now, but it’s too late to change a thing. Love I single-handedly sought out all the worst relationships and destroyed myself in them. For years, I searched for…

When you have to save your own life — What’s your worst nightmare? Could it be suddenly choking and not being able to breathe during dinner? This happened to me. I never expected to have my worst fear happen that Sunday. My husband and I woke up, fed, dressed the children in their finest, and strapped them safely in…